Two teams needing wins to improve their postseason positions meet up Friday night as the UCLA Bruins (20-8, 11-6 Big Ten) head east to face the No. 20 ranked Purdue Boilermakers (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) in a conference clash.
UCLA has won nine of its past 11 games, including impressive victories over three ranked opponents. The Bruins are relying on their strong defense, holding opponents to just over 66 points during this stretch.
Purdue will look to snap a four-game losing streak on Friday. The Boilermakers lost to three ranked teams during their toughest stretch of the season, and last weekend’s surprising defeat to Indiana further hurt Purdue’s chances to become a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Will UCLA or Purdue leave Mackey Arena on Friday with a win? We’ll cover that and provide our three favorite player prop bets below.
Purdue Boilermakers F Trey Kaufman-Renn OVER 5.5 Rebounds
Purdue has relied on Trey Kaufman-Renn significantly more this season than last year. The 6-foot-9 forward is 38th in the country in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game while collecting 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per night.
The Boilermakers have increased their offensive focus on Kaufman-Renn lately, and he’s scored 20 or more points in eight of the past 11 games. His rebounding totals have suffered as he’s collected four or fewer rebounds in five of his past eight outings. Expect him to cover this player prop bet – just barely – against the undersized Bruins on Friday.
UCLA Bruins F Tyler Bilodeau OVER 11.5 Points
The Bruins featured a guard-heavy lineup to start the season, working 7-foot-3 sophomore Aday Mara into the rotation significantly more now that UCLA has entered league play. Before then, 6-foot-9 forward Tyler Bilodeau was often the tallest Bruin on the court.
Despite playing against larger opponents, the junior held his own. He’s leading the Bruins with 13.9 points per contest while contributing 4.4 rebounds each game. Bilodeau has poured in at least 12 points in five of his team’s past seven games, giving bettors confidence he’ll cover this player prop bet.
Purdue Boilermakers G Braden Smith OVER 23.5 Pts + Ast
Braden Smith is a do-everything guard for Purdue this season. The junior is averaging 15.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing, and he’s second in the NCAA this season with 8.7 assists per game.
Smith has found life difficult against recent Big Ten foes. The guard has been held under a combined 24 points and assists in three of the past five games. With Purdue needing this win, expect him to be a beast on the offensive end, finishing with at least 20 points and five assists to cover the player prop bet.
Best Bet: UNDER 138.5 Points
UCLA appears to be the stronger team heading into this contest, but the Bruins have struggled during Big Ten Conference play on the road. The West Coast school is 1-4 in road trips outside of their Pacific Time Zone, finding life in a new conference difficult.
Yet Purdue’s 5.5-point spread advantage is too much for a squad riding a four-game losing streak. The safest bet is to take the total combined points for this contest. With both teams focusing on defense, take the under on this wager and expect neither team will top 70 points on Friday.
